Sydney - Australia 2004 - page 122

What to Know About BYO Value

Most moderate and inexpensive restaurants in Sydney are BYO, as in
“bring your own” bottle, though some places may also have extensive
wine and beer lists. More moderately priced restaurants are introduc-
ing “corkage” fees, which mean you pay anywhere from A$1 to A$4
(US65¢-US$2.60) per person for the privilege of the waiter opening
your bottle of wine. Very expensive restaurants discourage BYO.
Sydney's cheap eats are congregated in inner-city areas such as
along King Street in Newtown, Crown Street in Darlinghurst, and
Glebe Point Road in Glebe. There are also inexpensive joints scattered
among the more upscale restaurants in Kings Cross and along trendy
Oxford Street.
I would avoid the takeout booths along the ferry wharves at Circu-
lar Quay, after revelations showed that some of them harbored nasty
bugs. The fish-and-chip shop opposite the “bottle shop” (liquor store)
is an exception—it also has some of the best french fries in Sydney.
Smoking is banned in all Sydney restaurants, except if you're eating
from sidewalk tables.

NEAR CIRCULAR QUAY
VERY EXPENSIVE
Forty One MODERN AUSTRALIAN Powerful people, international
celebrities, and average Sydneysiders out for a special celebration all come here
to feel exclusive. It's won plenty of awards including the Amex Best Restaurant
in NSW and Best Restaurant in Sydney City 2002. The views over the city are
terrific, the service is fun, the cutlery is the world's best, and Swiss chef and
owner Dietmar Sawyere has given the food a wickedly good Asian slant. In all,
it's a glamorous place to experience the best of Australian cuisine. The signature
dish is the crown roast wild hare, with celeriac and potato purée, Viennoise car-
rots, and chartreuse jus. The menu changes every 2 weeks to keep up with sea-
sonal produce.
Level 41, Chifley Tower, 2 Chifley Sq. & 02/9221 2500. [e-mail]. Reservations
required. 3-course menu A$120 (US$78); 3-course menu with matched wine A$140 (US$91); 6 courses with
wine A$200 (US$130). AE, DC, MC, V. Tues-Fri noon-4pm; Mon-Sat 7-10pm. CityRail: Wynyard.
Guillaume at Bennelong FRENCH If you go to Bondi, you have to
swim in the Pacific; if you see the Harbour Bridge, you have to walk across it; if
you visit the Opera House, you must eat at Guillaume at Bennelong. The restau-
rant is as uniquely designed as the building itself, with tall glass windows that
furrow around in an arch and grab the harbor and Circular Quay by the throat.
Reopened after renovations in 2002, renowned French chef Guillaume Brahini's
offerings could include sealed veal sweetbreads with broad beans, asparagus, peas
and shiitake mushrooms, or a confit of Atlantic salmon on braised endive with
red wine sauce. It's hardly innovative but sometimes tradition wins through.
Many would rather miss the first half of the opera they've paid a fortune to see
rather than leave before dessert. The best bar in town is upstairs where you can
see over the water to the bridge and up to the other “sails.” Good bar food is